The cessation of the work at this time is particularly unfortunate
because so many important investigations, not yet finished, would
likely have had a very practical and beneficial bearing upon the actual
eradication of the disease.
First.—Very little is known about the bast miner—the insect which, as
stated in another place, is probably one of the most important carriers
of blight spores. A full knowledge of the life history of this insect
would probably very soon have been completed, and which would be a most
interesting contribution to science[7].
[7] Since writing the above, this work has already been finished, as
stated in footnote on page 46.
Second.—The Chemist and Physiologist in tree medication had planned to
use a new solution for injection into diseased trees, which according
to chemical work already done, promises to check the growth of the
blight.
Third.—The local intensive work in utilization had just begun, and as
stated elsewhere, bids fair to solve largely the difficult problem of
utilizing rapidly the diseased chestnut.
Fourth.—The discovery of the blight in China and the possession by the
Commission of a large number of seedlings of one of the most important
Chinese chestnuts, as well as immune and resistant Japanese stock,
opens a field for breeding experiments which would without question
have been of the greatest benefit to the owners of chestnut orchards.
Fifth.—Although not demonstrated before, it is now proved that birds
and insects carry enormous quantities of spores of the blight fungus,
which necessarily changes our viewpoint considerably with respect to
the eradication of the disease.
Sixth.—In a number of forest tracts and several orchards, thorough
“cutting-out” work and up-to-date surgery treatments have been started
by expert employees of the Commission, which are just now beginning to
show evidences of the value of this kind of work.
Brief statements of the results of the different lines of work
conducted by the Commission follow, credited to the respective parties
in charge.